Automobile reverse guard



NOV. 1l, 1930. H, E, BROWN AUTOMOBILE REVERSE GUARD Filed 0G13. 26, 1929.Nb mm NQ l .rbh

S mm w M Patented Nov. 11, 1930 UNITED HERBERT E. BROWN,v or CHICAGO,rumors, .assisrnen or onE-naLETo narrazioni-I.

MANDELBAUM, or cnicas-o, rnrinvorsH f AUToMoBLE REVERSE GUARD Originalapplication led August 18, 1927, Serial No. 213,785. Divided ,and thisapplication filed October `2,6,

1929. Serial No. 402,611.

This invention relates to the general art of variable transmissiongearings for motor Vehicles, and has reference more particularly to animproved device for preventing accidental throw of the gear shift leverpast neutral and into reverse position.

This application constitutes a. division of l an application heretoforefiled by me on the 18th day of August, 1927, Serial No. 213,785, whichhas eventuated in Letters Patent No. 1,740,725, dated December 24, 1929.

` In the aforesaid Letters Patent l have disclosed a variabletransmission gearing for automobiles wherein the variations in forwardspeed, and thereverse drive are effected by a straight line swing of anactuating lever equipped withan automatic lock for yieldinglyholding thelever in neutral position and in the low, ward and reverse positions.

In the operation of such a lever, wherein the low, intermediate and highforward speed positions are on one side of the neutral position and thereverse position on the other, there is danger that-the driver mayinadvertently swing the lever past the neutral position and into thereverse position during forward motion of the ca r which, of course,would impose a severe kstrain on the transvmission gears with danger ofstrippingthe latter.

ter appearing in vertical `With a view to preventingsuch accidentalshift of the lever, I have reverse guard which is automatically springactuated into, and maintained in, service position, but which may beretracted by the foot of the driver when the lever is to be thrown intoreverse position.

The device of my present invention in its preferred form is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in whichy Fig. 1 is a side elevation ofing mechanism, shown in relation to the front floor and foot board ofthe car, the latsection. l

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the foot-operated guard for the operatinglever, viewedon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

"tubular transmission shaft 20, intermediate and high forthe variablespeed.' gearing in the-gear .box-

jforV a disclosure had to my former patent hereinabove identi- Vshaftdesigned a simple.

the variableV speed gearing and its lever-operated actuat- Fig. 31s asectional of Fig. 1.

Fig, 4 is a cross sectional detail taken' on the line 4-4 of Fig.v 1,.

Referringto the drawings, in Fig. 1 is shown at 10 the front floor ofthe car body and at 11 the inclined foot board.` Rigidly mounted andsecured by any suitable means below the door board 10 is the gear boxshown as comprising lower and vupperhalv-es 12 and. 13 formed withmeeting flanges 12 and 13 united by bolts 14. rlhe forward end of thegear box is formed with a bearing lthrough which extends the forward endof the engine or clutch shaft 16. At the rear end'of the gear box and inline with' the bearing 15 is a similar bea-ring 19l through whichextends a With the particular nature or character of the presentinvention is notjconcernedgbut thereof reference' may be fied. In' thestructure of the aforesaid patverse are effectedby endwise movement of arod' 39 that is slidably mounted in the tubument, slidably mounted on`theftransmission I 20 is a collar 45formed with a circumferential groove46:V The collarw45 is'con- Vnected to the sliding rod 39 vby a cross'pin 47 (Fig. 4) which extends through longitudinal `slots 48 formed inthe transmission shaft 20. Y The cross pin 47 also serves to lockthe'slider rod 39 and the transmission'shaft 20 against relativerotation..

Referring tofFig..1,-,pivoted at50r to a bracket 51 attached to atransverse beam 52 of the chassis frame, or-other suitable support, is ahand lever 53 extending upwardly detail on the line 3--3 ent, thechanges in forwa'rd'speed Vand the re- Vthrough a sl-ot 54 in the floor10i-and terminati i ing in an operating knob, 55.1. 'Pivotedi at 156 fis alinlr 57A formed withy a deto the lever 53 pending 4)` travellinginthe annular-groove 46 ofthe collar ,45.l .Cooperating with the leverv 53is a segment bar mounted: on thefloorhl() yand N,formed in one edgeAthereof with a plurality :fork 58 carrying YrollersV 59 y ,y i

of notches 61 corresponding to neutral, low, intermediate and highforward, and reverse positions of the lever 53,- the notches `61oooperating with a spring pressed looking? dogv 62 on'the lever whichisdisengageable from thenotehes under.. a forward or rearward thrust onthe lever.

' .zontally offset linger 6,6 that extends throughA ward` and vrearwardmovement of an operate ing lever, it is desirable to provide means VforL preventing accidental excess movement or overthrow of the lever fromneutral intorever'seposition; and to accomplish this I provide a simplefoot-controlled. stop devlce for preventing such Vaccidental'overthrowof the .lever past the neutral position. -This stop device, in the formherein illustrated, oom- Hprises an elbow lever pivoted at 63 to abracket j 64 attached totheifioor 10 and comprisingV an upstandingarm-65 formed with a hori-` a transverse hole in the segment bar 60, anda horizontally extendingarm or pedal 68 nor- .mally upheld byanunderlying springk 69. 'In the normal Vposition of this vstop device,

shown in Fig-2, the finger66 lies across the path ofrearward swing ofythe lever 53 be- Itv'vejen the neutral and reverse notches 61,' andthusr serves as a stop" for theflever when the Alatter isinneutraljposition. -T|o throw the gearing into reverse, the driverdepresses thepedal 68 with his foot, withdrawing the stop d' f 66. ,'Io makeift-unnecessary to again depress d .the pedal` 68 beforethe lever canbereturned fromreverse to neutralor to one ofthe'for-U Warddrive'po'sitions, Ipreferably equip the Y' ,leverwithgalate'rallyextendingkeeper 7,0

(Figs. 1 and 3) lthat has a sliding engagement with the segment bar160kand thusV holds'the stop finger 66 retracted'when the leverlis in Yreverse: position and between neutral andre# lverser-positions. .f 'f

.y From the .foregoing it will be seenthat the stop-'finger 66, underthe thrust of the spring 69, is normally in a'position to block movefment-ofv the lever 53toreverse position. When the gearing is-to bethrownfinto reverse, the'` o Ydriver merely dpresses the pedal 68 withhis lfootand throws'the lever into thereverse position.` VAs soon asthelever has passed the stopth`efoot maybe raisedfrom the pedalV 68,andthekeeper 70 maintains the stop -re- In a construction such as that.herein, disclosed wherein the changes offspeedsand directionareeifectedby a forated by the same hand that throws theigeari' f Y shiftlever, nor does it have to be manually loperated both into yandout ofoperation,

With thepresent device, to throw the transmission gearing into reverse,a light Y foot pressure on the pedal 68.is all-that 1s required,

the stopv deviceV automatically returning to' operative position assoon'asthegear shift lever has'been returned from reverse-position toneutralposition.

I claim: 7

Y l. In a reverse guard for a variable'speed transmission gearing, thecombinationv with asegment bar formed*"with neutral land reverse lockingnotches, a-,pivoted-lever rslidab'le along said segment bar, and aspring pressed locking dog onsaid leverautomatically engageable .withsaidnotches, of a spring pressed stop membernorniallylying .across l thepath of movement of said lever between said notches, means forretracting said stop member, anda keeper on said lever operative to holdsaid stop memberfretracted during movement of said leverbetvveen saidneutral and reverse notches, 'Y

2. In a reverse' guard for ai variable speed transmission gearing, theCombination with an apertured segmentbar formed witha neutrallockingnotchv and with forward andreverse locking notches respectivelylocatedon opposite sides of said neutral 1ro-tch,arpivotedvk leverslidable along said segment bar,'and a Vspring-pressed dog on said leverautomatically engageable with said notches, ef anelbow '5i-10oleverpivoted atzits elbow adjacentto said segment bar, the upstandingarm of said lever carrying a finger slidable through the apertureoffsaidsegmentbar to'block movement v ture, and a keeper on saidfirst-named lever 'of said first-named leverto reverse position, 1 andtheother armvof said elbow leverconsti- 'mf Y tuting a pedal, a springacting on saidfelbow V- lever to force said'linger-throughsaidaperslidable across said aperture and; serving to hold said stoplfinger retracted duringmovement of said'lever between said neutral andreverse notches. f J f d d v:tracteduntil the lever has againbeenshifted vto1or beyond the neutral position, whereupon f into and? outlofoperativeposition by the hand Y* orV foot of thedriver has heretoforebeenfp'ro- 'V i v v posed; v The* guard` herein disclosed has theadvantages that it doesinothave to beoper-jA 5 i i

